Learn How To Overcome Hydrocephalus?

Hydrocephalus is a serious medical condition for children where excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is the buildup in the skull and causes brain swelling. The CSF usually moves within the brain’s cavities, also known as ventricles. The excess fluid when built up in the brain puts pressure and causes brain function problems in your child.

This condition can happen to anyone at any age but usually, occurs among infants and adults over 60 years of age. Consult an expert neuro pediatrician in Siliguri if your child has problems with feeding, high-pitched crying, and unexplained vomiting. There are different therapies that can help to manage your child from hydrocephalus.

Symptoms Of Hydrocephalus

For Infants:

· Lethargy

· Irritability

· Poor eating

· Seizures

· Unusual large head

· Increased size of the head

· A bulging spot on the head

· Nausea and vomiting

· Eyes fixed downward

· Problems with muscle

For Toddlers and older children:

· Headache

· Blurred vision

· Sleepiness

· Nausea

· Vomiting

· Unstable balance

· Poor coordination

· Irritability

· Change in personality

· Poor appetite

· Frequent urination

· Abnormal eye movements

· Abnormal enlargement of the head

This condition is also known as water on the brain and here the water is a clear, colorless fluid surrounding your child’s brain and spinal cord. This fluid called CSF is produced each day in your child’s body and reabsorbs.

Basically, hydrocephalus is four types such as:

· Communicating hydrocephalus

· Non-communicating hydrocephalus

· Hydrocephalus ex-vacuo

· Normal pressure hydrocephalus

Hydrocephalus causes ventriculomegaly which is a condition where the ventricles of a fetus’s brain are enlarged. Thus, in the case of hydrocephalus in children, a timely diagnosis is very much important.

Congenital hydrocephalus is a condition that occurs during fetal development. It generally causes due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. But there are other causes too such as:

· Aqueductal stenosis

· Neural tube defects

· Complications of premature birth

· Infections during pregnancy

The exact cause of occurring hydrocephalus in children is unknown. But it causes due to developmental or medical problems. There are several risk factors that are also involved in it such as the abnormal development of the central nervous system, traumatic injury to the brain, bacterial meningitis, and many others.

Don’t make a mistake by thinking that hydrocephalus can go away on its own no it’s not. Most importantly, this can be fatal if neglected. Therefore, early diagnosis is very crucial for good recovery as well as improving the condition of your child. There is no other way than brain surgery to treat hydrocephalus.

Your child may experience complications after surgery such as:

· Fever

· Headache

· Vision problems

· Nausea

· Vomiting

· Feeling tired

But you don’t have to worry much as many children get well and live their normal lives with surgery and monitoring. The surgical complications can vary thus, as a parent you should consult with your neuro pediatrician in Siliguri to ensure a positive outcome as it involves risk to both the cognitive and physical development of your child.

It is normal as a parent to worry about your child but you don’t have to worry and to scare when you talk to an expert pediatric surgeon. The child specialist starts diagnosing with physical examination, ultrasound scan, MRI, and CT scan and depending on the condition provides the right treatment. Hydrocephalus treatment also reduces the risk of permanent disability in your child.